


Thorne n thea au

by TheFictitiousScribbler



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, thorne n thea - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:08:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27532765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFictitiousScribbler/pseuds/TheFictitiousScribbler
Summary: Happy Birthday AAAAAAAAAAAAA
Relationships: thorne n thea
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

Thea had remembered the evening that Thalia Omelette Avangard was born; the panic on her brother’s face had been the same that night as it is right now. She didn’t get the nonsense of it, the girl’s crossing a gymnasium stage, not being shipped off to another country.

“She’s gonna trip in heels—why would you let her wear them?” Theo grumbles to his wife.

“Since when did you care about her footwear?” Delia retorts.

“The stage’s almost ten feet high! if she falls, she would break more than her ankle. I told you this was a bad idea..." 

Thea decides to drown out the couple, distracted by her phone buzzing in her pocket. She sees the name that flashes across the screen.

Thorne.

The man had been a thorn in her side (pun not intended) ever since childhood. He was harassing her for one reason or another—showing her things she could care less about, or creepy crawlies she could do without. It was one of the reasons Thea decided to move away from this place, but not the only reason. Her brothers Oli and Theo moved on with their lives—got married to their significant others, had kids (or ferrets in Oli's case), and it was time that Thea made a solid life for herself. She moved with that intention, relieved that Thorne didn’t follow.

Her shoulders slump at the cold reminder—she had been let go from her dream job in the city, ten years of a quiet existence was ripped beneath her feet when they did layoffs at her library—forcing her to return to her roots. Her niece’s high school graduation was a perfect cover; no one would ask why she had come home so suddenly.

To think she was staying with Thorne of all people; was she asking for an early death? Both her brothers had found it curious that she would stay at Thorne's house over either of theirs, but Thea lied and said it was a good way to catch up with him after being gone for so long. Oli bought it; Theo didn't. However, he didn’t press her, which relieved her greatly, but his tone held suspicion. Luckily his daughter's high school graduation had taken most of his attention from Thea's decision.

Thea hears a sharp whine behind her. She looks over her shoulder to see Oli with a large grin on his face—staring at his husband Deel, who let out a despondent sigh.

“Can you tell Oli that we're not getting another ferret?”

Oli shoves his phone next to Deel’s face. “But look at him, he’s all white—just like Deely!”

“Deely doesn’t need another brother, she’s already got three,” Deel mutters so no one else but Oli would hear; Thea keeps her amusement to herself.

“Don’t push your luck, bro. It’s surprising that Deel's stayed married to you this long, you're gonna ruin it if you insist on more ferrets.”

“Come on Thea, what if it were raccoons? You'd agree with me then, wouldn’t you?”

“Without a doubt, but you're not talking about raccoons, Oli, you're just being annoying.”

“See?” Deel gestures from Thea to Oli, “Three ferrets is enough.”

Oli raises a brow. “Well, if that's how you see it, then I’m not going to do that thing with my tongue that you like—”

Thea turns around, wishing she had some sewing needles to puncture her eardrums with.

“Auntie Thee,” A young male voice chimes next to her, thank god. Her sixteen-year-old nephew would be her saving grace. Hopefully, he could drown out the disturbing bedroom talk her ears had picked up on. She blinks, observing the boy next to her. It made sense that the son of her brother would share his obscure height, and by the width of his shoulders, he’d inherit his bulky frame—but wow, had it been that long since she last visited? He was slowly losing the round face that bore resemblance to Delia. Give it a few years and her nephew would become a clone of his father. She remembers when he was a few inches below her in height—and now? The foreboding feeling of getting older settled in her bones.

“Yo Pepper,” Thea grins, patting the teen on the shoulder once he takes a seat. “How’s it been?”

He's about to speak but is cut off by his mother.

“Kalian,” Delia corrects Thea in a warning tone but shifts her focus to her son. “Where were you?”

“Thal wanted a snack.”

“She had snacks before we left.”

“She wanted a wafer.”

“The egg sandwiches I made were enough. She doesn’t need anything else.”

“I’m gonna get a coffee.” Thea scoots past them, avoid the bickering that would commence between Delia and her son. Between the bickering and the suggestive hints, she knows she made the right call with staying at Thorne's.

***

Or... So she thought.

“Thea, _Thea!”_

Thorne’s enthusiastic tone tenses her shoulders. “Not so loud, the whole bloody cafeteria doesn’t need to know my name.”

“How else could you know it was me?” Thorne beams, his freckled cheeks shining under the fluorescent lighting of the room. For a private school, this place could care to dress up the interior a bit. “Want coffee?”

“Already have one,” Thea raises the medium-sized cup in the air.

“So you do,” Thorne laughs. “But do you have _this?”_ He pulls out a kit kat, causing her mouth to twitch. She yanks it from his hands, unravelling the treat and devouring it immediately. She hasn’t realized how hungry she was until that moment. The taller man sits down next to her, his ankles reveal spider-printed socks. No one would be able to tell that Thorne was almost forty wearing Halloween socks.

“There’s a lot of suitcases for someone who’s only staying a few days. You alright?” She hates that the question forces tears to spring from her eyes. “Thea?”

Why does he have to sound so kind? “I’m fine.”

“You can stay as long as you like, you know I don’t mind.”

She lowers her lids, attempting to force down any emotion. As long as he doesn’t ask any more questions, she can stomach this graduation. She’s only here because she cares about Thalia—or at least, that’s what she wishes she could say. She can’t admit that she ran out of money. She can’t admit to Thorne that she needs his help. The man would smother her with pestering, like when they were kids. Maybe she could live with Oli instead. A chill runs down her spine when she remembers the exchange between Oli and Deel only minutes ago…no, Thorne would be good enough.

“What’s with the socks?” Thea changes the subject.

“Thalia loved them when she was small, so I had to wear these for her special day. She used to love the smiley faces,” He points to the spider on his anklebone. “I decided to buy her a pair of her own spider socks for her grad present.”

Thea frowns. She didn’t have enough money to splurge on a gift, making her feel worse than she had when she arrived. Thorne notices, “It can be from the both of us.”

“I have something, it’s fine.” She didn’t, and it wasn’t fine.

“I insist—the spider socks will mean more coming from the both of us—we’re much cooler relatives than Deel and Oli are.” He grins; Thea oddly takes comfort in that.

“I don’t want her to think of me _if_ she wears those stupid socks.” She doubts that eighteen-year-old Thalia will wear Halloween socks. No self-respecting teen would. They would be thrown in the drawer and become moth food in a matter of months.

“Let’s give them to her now before graduation starts, then she can wear them when she grabs her diploma.”

“What—no!” It was Thea’s duty to prevent embarrassment for the girl. “She’s backstage with her friends—we aren’t to interfere.”

“That’s why I brought them here.”

Thea rolls her eyes. “Get a clue, Thorne. She’s not gonna wanna wear some stupid spider socks to flaunt across the stage.”

Thorne pauses, looking off to the door of the cafeteria before he pats his bag. “I’ll wait until after the ceremony so she can open her gift then—I can’t wait to see how excited she looks!”

Classic Thorne, never listening to a damn word she said. Thea huffs, all self-pity leaving her.

“We should get back before it starts. Don’t wanna miss Omelette crossing the stage.”

“You shouldn’t call her Omelette, you know Theo doesn’t like it.”

“Why do you think I call her that in the first place? I’m his sister, it’s my job to erroneously bug him.”

***

“Thea!” Her niece exclaims with stars in her eyes. “You came!”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, champ.” Thea laughs, patting her taller niece on the back. With her heels, she stood seven inches above Thea’s head—making her oddly nostalgic for the times she was able to hold Thalia in her arms. God, how the hell did time go so damn fast?

Thorne stands beside her, holding the bag in his arms. With a dumb grin on his face to boot.

“You have something you wanna give Omelette?” Thea nudges forward.

“Sure do!” Thorne hands her the bag with the aforementioned socks. Thea holds back a snort when Thalia excitedly reaches into the bag, her violet eyes widening when she pulls out the orange and black socks. Thalia looks over at Thea; she shrugs in response.

“I figured you were old enough to have a pair of your own—now we match!” Thorne pulls up his pant leg to reveal the socks, but Thalia glances over to her incoming parents and brother. Damn, did Delia ever stand out beside her children—besides the curly hair and violet eyes, and some subtle nuances of their features, neither child shared Delia’s fair genetics.

Delia gives her daughter a quick congratulatory hug before asking, “Are those…spider socks?” Delia snatches the socks from her daughter’s hands. She looks at Thea. “Thorne’s doing I take it.”

“Obviously, I’d be insulted if you thought the socks were my idea.” Thea frowns. 

“We’ll hide these in the attic,” Delia whispers to her daughter. 

“But I like them—I just don’t want to wear them _right now,_ when my friends can see.”

“I didn’t know you were into spiders?”

Thalia rolls her eyes, sporting a very similar expression to Delia for a brief second. “Shows how much you know about me.”

Delia scoffs, “Theo, I believe _your_ daughter needs telling off—god knows she won’t mind her attitude around me.”

She notes the amusement on her brother’s face as he pats his daughter on the shoulder—pride shining in his eyes. He ignores the brief quarrel. “Proud of you, kid.”

“It’s only high school. It’s kinda mandatory to graduate you know.”

“Still.” There's a nostalgic look in Theo's eyes.

“I get it. Thanks, Dad.”

Theo smile widens as he watches Thalia meet up with her friends. Thea taps his arm.

“She’s a fully seasoned _Omelette_ now.”

His face drops as he gives Thea a cold stare. “If you weren’t my sister, you'd be dead to me.”

“Sure, sure.” She cackles. “It must be weird to you, seeing your kids all grown up.”

“Yeah. Reminds me when you moved.”

“That’s not the same.”

“It was. You moving away solidified that I was an old man.”

“Hardly. Omelette and Pepper were still babies back then.”

“Thalia,” he doesn’t correct her on Kalian's name. “And it is the same. You're my kid sister. Just make sure to visit before you leave, alright?”

“Sure.” Thea steels herself. She isn’t sure how to break it to Theo that she wasn’t going to leave.

“Are you sure you want to stay with Thorne?”

“Yeah. You know how he bugs and bugs.”

“I’m aware. Just surprised you gave into it this time.”

“Age makes you more tolerant—or something like that.” Thea shrugs. “We gonna have dinner or is Omelette ditching us?”

 _“Thalia_ is gonna spend the night out. But you're more than welcome to come back with us—Delia’s made a bunch of sandwiches for the family to eat, and I need someone to distract her while I sprinkle pepper onto my portions.”

“Sure, why not. I’ve always loved Delia's sandwiches. I'd have married her for that alone.”

The look on Theo's face foretells that he married her for reasons _other_ than her food obsessions. But, there was still love in his eyes when he looks at his wife.

Thea was happy for him.

Truly.


	2. Chapter 2

“You’ve been quiet all evening.”

Thorne says when they leave the car, heading towards his porch. The two-story brick home stood proudly in the middle of the property, surrounded by a little garden. It was late when she pulled into Thorne's driveway, so she hadn’t noticed the peonies and lilies surrounding the garden. Thea hadn’t realized Thorne was a gardener—but then again—they hadn’t talked much when she moved away.

“Yeah, about that.” Thea instinctively glances for an exit, but there’s no point. She had to announce why she had brought more than a few suitcases “I…let’s talk inside.”

“Sure,” his tone is soft as he unlocks the door. He flips on a light switch as Thea steps inside. She heads to his modern country styled kitchen. “Want me to brew you a coffee?”

“Nah, I had enough today—might get the jitters you know?”

Thorne nods, pulling a chair out for her to sit.

God, Thea doesn’t even know where to start.

“I…got let go. From my job.” Thea bristles as she utters her confession. “It’s why I couldn’t get Thalia a present.”

“And why there are cardboard boxes upstairs.” Thorne nods, reaching out his hand to Thea’s. She pulls away, glancing at the window. “Where’s the rest of your stuff?”

“In storage. Didn’t have too many things left so thankfully it doesn’t cost me much.” Thea sighs. “I’m not gonna beg you to let me stay. I don’t mind living in my car if need be. I just…didn’t want the family to see that I was living in my back seat.”

“Thea, you know I’d let you stay here as long as you needed—forever, even.” Thorne wasn’t being his oblivious self—even she could hear the sincerity of his words. “I’d do anything to make you happy, you know that.”

“It’s not your job to—I’ll be fine on my own. I’ve always been fine on my own.” It comes out sharper than she intended. She bites her lip, refusing to cry in front of her old friend. It’s not that she couldn’t make it on her own…but it was starting to get lonely. If she decides to stay with Thorne, he'd bug her constantly, like he did when they were kids. She’d want to kill him. They wouldn’t be a good fit.

“I’m a dentist, Thea. I can afford to house you until you get another job. You know I’d do more than that if you allowed me to.”

“I know that—” She stops herself from being rude. “—Thanks, I really mean that, but I don’t know. Maybe just a week, until I figure things out. I still have a little bit of money left over that I can pay you if it ends up being longer.”

“I won’t take your money,” Thorne says, his tone strict.

“I refuse to be a burden.” Thea stares back. “Either you let me pay you what I owe or…” She stops, taking a deep breath. “What I mean is, I don’t want to feel like I owe you a shit ton of money or…whatever.”

Thorne nods, “Okay—I’ll give you my spider back, just put the money in there whenever you get a new job, and ill take it out.”

Thea blinks, seeing the seriousness on Thorne’s face.

“I can transfer you the money—”

“No, spider bank only. Those are my terms.” Thorne crosses his arms.

Thea shakes her head. “Fine. _If_ I need a place to stay, and it happens to be here, I will pay you back via the _spider bank.”_

Thorne grins, “I’ll put my pink spider bank in your room. It’ll be nice to have company.” He claps his hands, “Now, what would you like for dinner?”

“I’m good,” Thea waves her hand.

“I got some peanut butter in the cupboard. Want a spoon?”

Thea’s eyes light up. That's exactly what she was craving.

***

“Thea, c'mere a min.” Thorne stumbles through the door, his feet scuffing the kitchen floor. “Thea, _Theeeeeeeeeea?”_

Thea brushes a bang from her face, hoping that Thorne hadn’t noticed she had napped the last few hours away. _Shit,_ she said she was going to look for a job! She can’t let Thorne think that she’s napped on his couch for the whole morning! It’s been two full weeks since she’s been here…Thea grimaces when she hears that he's stopped—she can feel his eyes on her. Staring. God, she hated when he stared.

“Guess what guess what guess what!”

“If I say no, you're gonna tell me anyway.”

“I got you an interview at the library in town, next to where I work! One of my patients is a librarian and she happened to come in today and I told her all about your situation.”

“You what? Thorne!” Thea begins but bites her tongue. Did it matter that Thorne blabbed about her to a patient? If he hadn't, she wouldn’t have an interview to go to.

“It's okay she's really nice! Name's Janet, but I promise she isn’t cranky. I know Janet is a name that’s commonly associated with cranky women—”

“You don’t have to go on and on, I get it. Thanks, by the way.” She tucks some hair behind her ear.

“Here’s her card.” Thorne pulls it out of his jacket and hands it to Thea. “Did you enjoy your nap?”

“I wasn’t napping.” Thea groans inwardly, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

“Your hair's all messy. Means you tossed around a lot.”

Thea fixes her hair, “I should make lunch.”

“I brought some back, thought you might be hungry.” Thorne grabs the plastic bag and puts it on the counter. “Egg salad for me, and egg salad for you.”

Thea perks up until she sees the logo on the bag Thorne was holding. “You didn’t tell Delia did you?”

“About you? Nah, I always stop at Delia’s for lunch. She knows you're here but I told her it’s a vacation. Didn’t get why you were staying at my place though, seemed disappointed that you aren’t staying with her.”

“I don’t want my brothers knowing. You know how overprotective they can be.”

“I said that you didn’t wanna be a bother. Theo won’t know the difference.” Thorne underestimated them both. Delia could never keep a secret from her husband, and that would mean Theo would call any minute now.

Thea feels a vibrate on her side, nervous to pick up the phone.

“Thea, what’s wrong.”

“Nothing?” Thea says, not at all convincingly.

“It’s been two weeks and you’re still at Thorne’s. That isn’t normal. Drive over to my house, we can talk it out.”

“I’m fine, Theo. It’s been nice at Thorne's, and quiet. With Delia and the…kids…it'd have been too loud.”

“They hardly exist—both of them have lives of their own, much to my wife's dismay. She even got a new comforter for the guest bed—with the feathers—which sheds everywhere by the way…but it’s light and fluffy, just the way you like it.”

“Since when do you think I care about linens?” Thea sighs. “I’m fine, really. It’s nice to catch up with a childhood friend.”

“It’s Thorne. You cringe anytime he looks your way.”

“We aren’t kids anymore. He's been a good pal.” Thea smiles as she observes Thorne watering his plants.

“Is he feeding you right?”

“Yes.”

“Does he have pubber?”

“Theo, please. And yes he's got pubber. Gotta go, will call you later.” Thea blushes when she puts her phone down—thankful that Thorne had left the room by that point in the conversation. She could get a minute to collect herself, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before Theo drove out here himself to check on her. He always had to be the mother hen. She doesn’t know how she's going to break it to Theo that she lost her job. Maybe if this interview goes well, she can lie and say that she transferred out here.

“Hey Thorne, never talk to Delia about me again, alright? Theo just called.”

“Okay, sorry!” he yells from the hall.

“Why are you back home already? Thought you worked weekdays?”

“Was slow at work, decided to come home and spend time with my roomie!” He pokes his head back into the living room. “Also…I’ve been worried about you.”

“No need. Thanks to you I have a place to stay.”

“But Thea…you've been on your own for quite some time. That’s worrisome.”

“I don’t see you living with anyone.” Thea raises a brow.

“I think you and I both know why that is.” Thorne uncharacteristically turns away, his focus on the window. “I know you wanted to have a life of your own so I never bothered you, and don’t take this the wrong way, but the reason I stayed alone was because…one day you might come home. I don’t need you to have a ring on your finger, Thea. I just want to be in your life—even if it's as a roommate. My home is your home, for however long you want it to be.”

“That sounds like a proposal.” Thea laughs.

“It…it is. I know I can be a lot, I realize that now, but you're this amazing person that I can’t help but want to be around. I can’t say why that is, but for me, you're it. Being around you for the last fourteen days…it's a dream come true. I can finally sleep at night, knowing you're safe.” He grins, redness staining his cheeks. “I love you, Thea.”

“Thorne…I'm incapable of loving you in the way that you want me to. You're better off moving on.”

“It’s been fifteen years, and I'm not changing my mind. I don’t want you to be my wife, Thea. I want you to be my companion. A friend that I can die old with—if that's what you want. I promise that if you want to leave, I’ll keep my distance like I did when you moved the first time.”

“That’s not it, dumbass. I just…do that want you to resent me for not wanting more. I’m just not interested in romance, and the stuff that follows…never was. If you choose to live with me, you'll never have kids.”

“I never cared about kids, Thea. And I’ve gone this long without romance. As I said, the decision is yours. I want you to stay here only if you want to.”

Had Thorne really put off dating because of her? She didn’t feel guilty but…it was oddly sweet to see how dedicated he truly was. Not that she would ever tell him that.

“If I get the job…maybe that could work. You do have a nice setup. And Oli has been pestering me to have a movie night soon…and I guess if I lived here my brothers would like that I’m living so close.”

Thorne's brown eyes sparkle. “You mean it?”

Thea nods. “It’s a trial. If you annoy me, I’m outta here.”

Thorne motions forward to hug Thea but pulls back to collect himself. “Okay, _okay._ I’m gonna eat my lunch now.”

Thea smiles softly when Thorne's back is turned. Truth be told, it was nice to have a warm body in the vicinity…and someone who was tall enough to reach the peanut butter from the top shelf at supermarkets.

Maybe…just maybe…it would all work out.


End file.
